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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> With the caveat that not all people are "typical" -- with varying levels of "tenderness" and "toughness" when it comes to hearing tolerance -- the researchers concluded that most people can listen to an MP3 player for 4.6 hours a day at 70 percent of full volume.
When set to 80 percent of full volume, 1.2 hours of daily listening is the maximum, they suggested, while full volume listening should never exceed five minutes a day when using a bud earphone, three minutes with a noise-reduction earphone, or 18 minutes with an over-the-ear set.
The authors pointed out that the differences reflect the fact that ear-bud style headphones deliver higher levels of sound to the ear than over-the-ear varieties.
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A second study looked at how people -- in this case doctoral students -- actually deal with volume control in light of two variables: background noise and earphone types. The study was done by Fligor and Terri E. Ives, an assistant professor with the PCO School of Audiology in Elkins Park, Pa.
In general, men listened to music at higher volumes than women. But, overall, only about 6 percent of the study participants chose to listen at "risky" levels -- above 85 decibels -- while in quiet conditions. However, in noisy conditions, those students with background-noise-reducing earphones set their volumes lower than those with regular earphones.
About 80 percent of those study participants with non-noise reducing earphones turned their volumes up to "risky" levels while in noisy conditions. That figure fell to just 20 percent among those using noise reduction earphones.
"It's very clear that the amount of background noise is the number one thing that dictated whether or not people listened too loud," said Fligor. "Not the kind of headphone. Except when we provided people with an isolating earphone to isolate background noise. That did reduce the potential risk for hearing loss, because it did cause people to modify their hearing use to lower levels.
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